Veikkausliiga

Countries	Finland
Confederation	UEFA
Founded	1990
Number of teams	14
Relegation to	Ykkönen
Level on pyramid	Level 1
International cup(s)	Champions League UEFA Europa League
Current champions	HJK Helsinki (2009)
Most championships	HJK Helsinki (22)
Website	http://www.veikkausliiga.com
2009

Veikkausliiga is the premier division of Finnish football, comprising the top 14 clubs of the country. Veikkausliiga is currently ranked as the 28th best league in Europe. Its main sponsor is the Finnish national betting agency Veikkaus, hence the league's name. Veikkausliiga was founded in 1990; before that the top division was called Mestaruussarja (championship series) since 1930 which was an amateur or semi-professional league. Between 1908 and 1930 the championship was decided in a cup competition.

Ykkönen (division one) has been the second highest level of Finnish football since 1973.

Like in some other cold-climate European countries (including Norway, Sweden and Russia), league matches in Finland are played in summer, with a schedule usually from April to October. In current format each team plays all other teams twice, both at home and away. At the end of the season, the lowest-placed team is relegated to Ykkönen, whose winner will be promoted to Veikkausliiga. In normal seasons, the team placed next to lowest will play a two-legged relegation/promotion match with the second-placed team in Ykkönen. In season 2006, because the Veikkausliiga was one team short, this promotion match was not played and two best clubs of Ykkönen, FC Viikingit and AC Oulu, were promoted directly. KuPS were relegated.

The average annual salary for a league player is about 20 000 euro.^[1] Veikkausliiga is a founding member of the European Professional Football Leagues associoation ^[2].

[edit] Clubs

The Veikkausliiga clubs in the 2010 season are (with their home towns in brackets):

[edit] Champions

The following clubs have won either the Veikkausliiga (between 1990 and 2008) or the Mestaruussarja (between 1908 and 1989) championship :

• 22 wins: HJK
• 9 wins: FC Haka, HPS
• 8 wins: TPS
• 7 wins: HIFK
• 5 wins: KuPS, Kuusysi¹, Tampere United²
• 4 wins: KIF
• 3 wins: Reipas Lahti¹, VIFK, ÅIFK
• 2 wins: FC Jazz⁴, KTP³, OPS, VPS
• 1 win: HT, KPV, PUS, Turun Pyrkivä, Viipurin Sudet, Unitas, TPV, MyPa, FC Inter Turku

Notes:
¹ Kuusysi and Lahden Reipas merged their professional teams in 1997 to form FC Lahti. Both teams, however, continue in junior football.
² Ilves-Kissat Tampere merged with TaPa Tampere in 1975 to form Ilves Tampere, who took over Ilves-Kissat's place. Ilves Tampere were renamed Tampere United before the 1999 season as a result of failed merger. Although Ilves continues also as its own club all predecessors' titles are included here in the figure for Tampere United.
³ FC KooTeePee was established to continue top-level football in Kotka when the former Kotka team known as KTP went bankrupt. However as KTP also continues to play in lower divisions its titles are not usually considered to be inherited by FC KooTeePee.
⁴FC Jazz was formerly known as PPT (Porin Pallotoverit)

[edit] Top clubs 1990-2009

[edit] Top scorers 1990–2008

Season	Player	Club	Goals
1990	Marek Czakon	Ilves	16
1991	Kimmo Tarkkio	FC Haka	23
1992	Luiz Antonio	FC Jazz	21
1993	Antti Sumiala	FC Jazz	20
1994	Dionísio	TPV	17
1995	Valeri Popovitch	FC Haka	21
1996	Luiz Antonio	FC Jazz	17
1997	Rafael	HJK	11
1998	Matti Hiukka	RoPS	11
1999	Valeri Popovitch	FC Haka	23
2000	Shefki Kuqi	FC Jokerit	19
2001	Paulus Roiha	HJK	22
2002	Mika Kottila	HJK	18
2003	Saku Puhakainen	MyPa	14
2004	Antti Pohja	TamU	16
2005	Juho Mäkelä	HJK	16
2006	Hermanni Vuorinen	FC Honka	16
2007	Rafael	FC Lahti	14
2008	Aleksandr Kokko	FC Honka	13
	Henri Myntti	TamU
2009	Hermanni Vuorinen	FC Honka	16

[edit] UEFA Ranking

UEFA Country Ranking for league participation in 2010-11 European football season (Previous year rank in italics)

• 25 (26) Ekstraklasa
• 26 (20) Bundesliga
• 27 (27) Prva HNL
• 28 (33) Vysshaya Liga
• 29 (28) Veikkausliiga
• 30 (30) League of Ireland
• 31 (29) A Lyga
• 32 (34) Premijer Liga

[edit] See also

• Veikkausliiga 2009
• Veikkausliiga 2008
• Football Association of Finland

[edit] References

1. ^ http://www.urheilunaika.fi/files/orig/24_UA_1_06_s56.pdf
2. ^ http://www.epfl-europeanleagues.com/profile_veikkausliiga.htm

[edit] External links

• Official website
• Finland - List of League First Level Tables at RSSSF
• Fixtures and Tables on aragon.ws
• Clean and simple game scores featuring RSS feed